Unexpected
by Starlene Ashes
Summary: Lily has liked Lorcan Scamander for ages, and has yet to get up the courage to tell him that. But when a certain Slytherin (that she openly hates) finds out and offers to help her with her crush, what will happen? Will she find love, or face rejection? Or maybe both?
1. The Ideal Christmas Present

**Unexpected**

Disclaimer: I do not own this. Seriously, would you believe me if I said I did?

Author's Note: Warning: This is a Scorlily fic. If you don't ship Scorlily, kindly press/click the "back" button on your screen. You have been warned.

But all jokes aside, you can always read it if you want to, even if you aren't a big fan of Scorlily.

* * *

Chapter 1: The Ideal Christmas Present

Unknown to others, Lily has always kept a record of what she did (and didn't do) that week, updated every Sunday night. The brown leather notebook, a gift from her parents on her eleventh birthday, was kept in the topmost drawer of the table next to her bed, left alone unless needed.

Written in a neat and tidy handwriting, sometimes blotted when she stopped to think, were these words:

_House Points Awarded: 35_

_House Points Deducted: 1 (For running in the corridors being chased by Albus when I stole his Transfiguration homework. Of course, he wasn't able to catch me and received detention after a group of first-years fell down injured, courtesy of my dear brother. _

Lily smiled, recalling the face of Albus when he was caught by Professor McGonagall, one of the strictest teachers at Hogwarts. Luckily, the Prefect/Head Boy that caught her was James, who was known to show favoritism to his friends. It was a wonder that he managed to keep his badge at all. He'll probably get replaced later, Lily thought.

_House Points Total: 34_

_Feed Lilipad her favorite Owl Treats: 5 times_

_Go to the Library: 4 times_

_Practice__ flying (excluding team practices): 4 times_

She was pleased with the results until she glanced down at the last line, and her heart sank.

_Tell Lorcan your feelings for him: 0 times _

She sighed. Lily has liked him since she was twelve, and she was now fourteen, having just had her birthday. And every time she talked to him in the past two years, which must be at least more than – she did a quick calculation, and estimated about – three hundred times, she had failed to tell him she liked him.

It wasn't just because he was in his fifth year while she was in her fourth, he was in Ravenclaw with his twin Lysander, while she was in Gryffindor along with her family (apart from Albus, who was in Slytherin). They had limited time together, sure, but Lily believed the most critical factor was that she was scared Lorcan would laugh at her after she confessed, thinking it was a joke, which would hurt her more than anything.

Lorcan Scamander, with his deep blue eyes, light brown hair that looked almost blond in the sunlight, kind attitude towards everyone he met, and the loving and caring way he treated animals . . . the perfect boyfriend in Lily's eye.

The sound of the other girls entering the dormitory brought Lily to her senses. Quickly stuffing her notebook into the drawer lest the others find out about her crush and announce it to the world, she pulled the hangings of her four-poster close.

She would tell him before Christmas, she decided. It was only the last week of September, more than enough time to plan how to tell him. She would get a boyfriend for Christmas. Lily imagined her mother sending a letter asking what to get her for Christmas and herself replying: _a boyfriend_. Lily laughed. Little did she know she would get her Christmas present, only that the form it takes would be a bit . . . unexpected.

* * *

Author's Note: I chose Lorcan rather than Lysander because I've noticed that there are more fics about Lysander than Lorcan. He needs some love too, people! I'll update as soon as I can. And don't forget to review!


	2. Library Predictions

Author's Note: Hi everyone, and I'm back! Here's Chapter 2. Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 2: Library Predictions

_A few weeks later . . . _

Lily was slumped at a table in the library with her head propped on her hand, glaring at a piece of paper in front of her. A volume titled _An In-depth Study of Divination for the Gifted by Cassandra Vablatsky _lay unopened. All around her were crumpled scraps of parchment.

"What's wrong with you?" asked a voice.

A girl with bushy brown hair and freckles collapsed next to Lily, depositing a few (but very thick) books on the table with a soft _thud_. The added weight was enough to make the table creak.

"Hi Rose," greeted Lily. "As for your question, _Divination_." She said the word _Divination _through gritted teeth, as if she particularly hated the subject. Which she did.

"Ah. _Divination._ Didn't _anyone_ tell you _not_ to choose Divination?"

'Well, yes. Mum, Dad, Aunt Hermione, Uncle Ron, Uncle Fred, Aunt Angelina, Grandma Molly . . . Basically everyone in my family and in the Weasley family. But Auntie Luna told me to go for it. She said I might have the _Gift _and might possess the_ Sight._ Turns out she was wrong."

"Oh."

"And now I have to complete this rubbish!" Lily whisper-screamed, pointing at a chart bearing different symbols.

"I would offer help, but seeing as I have never taken a Divination class in my life, you'd probably be better off doing it yourself."

Lily sighed, then sat up straight and began scribbling calculations and random markings on another piece of parchment. Rose glanced at her and promptly started reading _Advanced Transfiguration_ herself.

Suddenly the silence was pierced by a scream, followed by incessant laughter. The girls turned to see Madam Pince covered head to toe with banners, some with the words "I'm a Prince!" in gold letters, others bore the words "Bow before Me!" in silver cursive writing. On her head sat a gold crown embedded with fake diamonds, rubies, emeralds and other precious stones. It looked as if it came from a young girl's dress up set.

A group of students stood in the shadows, laughing their heads off. Most of them Lily recognized, others she didn't. The ones she _did_ know includes Lily and Rose's shared cousins Fred, Roxanne, Dominique and Weasley, Rose' brother Hugo, Lily's brothers James and Albus, and Albus' best friend, the one and only – Scorpius Malfoy. Through their chortling she could make out the words "Irma Pince – I'm a Prince!" and "Best prank _ever_!"

Lily and Rose watched with interest (well Lily really, Rose was more irritated that they disturbed her studying) as Madam Pince struggled to take the banners off. It was quite amusing to watch. Lily suspected the students enchanted the banner so that taking them off would be a lot harder.

Before she could remove them however, the students _tried_ to stifle their snickering (keyword: _tried_) and walked towards her. Every now and then someone would break into giggles and double over at the sight of her. The boys bowed to her while the girls curtsied (the people wearing hats took theirs off as well). They chorused as one as if they had rehearsed (which, Lily thought, they probably had), "How may I help you, Your Majesty?"

Madam Pince let out a cry of outrage, somehow managing to draw her wand. She pointed it at them threateningly.

Recognizing defeat, the culprits rushed out the door, waving at the stunned onlookers and in Scorpius Malfoy's case, sending a wink at Lily's direction. Lily replied by giving him one of her infamous death glares.

Ignoring the sounds of them being ambushed by flying books that whacked them around the head, Lily settled down and joined Rose in studying.

After a while, (half an hour actually) she was finally able to make a prediction. Yes, one. Well, she never was good at Divination. Lily frowned.

Here's what it said:

_**On Friday, your soulmate will show up when you most need him.**_

"That's ridiculous," muttered Lily, stuffing the chart back into her bag. "I'll finish this some other day." She said goodbye to Rose who was too immersed in her Transfiguration book to give any response other than a nod. "But seeing as one prediction can take up to thirty minutes", she slung her bag over her shoulder, "I'll probably just make them up."

* * *

Author's Note: And that concludes another chapter. It's not much, but this scene is kind of important, so I couldn't miss it. For the sake of the readers, I tried to make it as entertaining as possible. I hope I succeeded. But no worries. The next chapter will be full of action, I guarantee you. So, until next time, everyone! Remember to review/favorite/follow!


	3. A Visit to the Hospital Wing

Author's Note: I'm back with a new chapter! Hope you enjoy Chapter 3!

* * *

Chapter 3: A Visit to the Hospital Wing

_On Friday . . ._

"Ouch!"

It was after school, and Lily was running through one of her favorite shortcuts that leads to the kitchen before accidentally slipping on a wet patch on the floor. And then someone crashed into her. Double ouch. And that someone was Scorpius Malfoy, the most annoying idiot that ever lived, which made it even worse. (Lily's words.)

Scorpius stood up, and without sparing a glance at her, started walking away.

Lily tried to get up by herself, and fell back onto the ground, wincing. She understood that she broke her left ankle and would not be able to get up herself. She looked at Scorpius' retreating shadow and opened her mouth to yell at him that she needed help. They might not like each other, but surely he would put aside their differences for once and help her, after noticing her predicament? Then she found out that she didn't need to say anything. He was already walking back towards her.

"What . . . ?" asked Lily, puzzled and secretly happy that she didn't need to shout.

"Come on, you didn't really think that I'd leave you without help after making you fall, did you?" Scorpius said, offering a hand.

Lily chose not to answer.

"Anyway, you all right?"

"I think I broke my ankle, or at least sprained it," replied Lily in a small voice.

"Need any help?" asked Scorpius.

". . . Yes." She didn't want to, but she had no choice. She didn't know much about healing, but she was pretty sure that trying to walk herself without help would just make matters worse. She would just fall over again, and might even break the bones in her right leg.

Besides, this was one of the more remote parts of the castle, and she was aware of the fact that most students didn't even know of such a path. The reason why she knew such a place existed was thanks to the Marauder's Map, her and her brothers' favorite family heirloom, after the Invisibility Cloak of course. The chance of someone passing through here that would help her was very slim indeed. And she was in no mood to wait until someone did. She still had plenty of homework to finish.

Lily took Scorpius' outstretched hand reluctantly. He pulled her up and motioned for her to lean on him. Lily obliged, albeit a bit hesitantly. They slowly moved towards the hospital wing, which, thankfully, wasn't too far away.

He struck up a conversation during their short walk. "What were you doing there, anyway?"

"I was heading towards the kitchen to get some snacks. You?"

"Same."

"I wasn't aware that many knew of that path. Were you following me?" asked Lily teasingly, turning her head to face Scorpius.

"Don't be stupid, why would I want to follow you?" Scorpius narrowed his eyes, his cheeks turning slightly pink. He continued, "And no, not many knew that there was such a shortcut. I found it in my first year, when I didn't know my way around the castle, when I was just aimlessly wandering around."

"Albus didn't help you?" questioned Lily, confused. It wasn't like him to not help his friends.

"We weren't friends yet. He found me when I was roaming the castle with no specific destination. He showed me the way with his magic map thing. Then we started talking and found that we have quite a lot in common. That's how we became friends."

And then the conversation drifted towards Quidditch. Lily had quite some stories to share about different Quidditch Teams, as her mother was a former member of the Holyhead Harpies, which, unsurprisingly, was Lily's favorite team.

They arrived at the hospital wing a few minutes later. Madam Pomfrey examined it and remarked that it was just a sprained ankle, nothing serious. She fixed her ankle in about a second, and Lily was able to walk normally again.

After ensuring that Lily was fine, Madam Pomfrey looked at her, told her off for running in the corridors, and then started scolding Scorpius about watching where he was going and bumping into other people. Then she stopped her rant as if realizing something.

"I thought you were enemies."

"Yeah, we are," confirmed Lily.

"Then why —"

"But as much as I don't like her, it's simple manners to help someone if you made them fall." Lily smiled at Scorpius gratefully, which was probably a first.

Madam Pomfrey seemed satisfied with Scorpius's answer, and didn't even admonish him for interrupting her. "That's nice of you, dear. While I don't approve of enmity much, I'll let it slide this time seeing as there is no repercussions. Now, off you go, and I don't want to hear you running in the corridors again, all right?"

Lily nodded and thanked her for fixing her ankle. She and Scorpius left the hospital wing, chatting about schoolwork and other things, as if they were best friends instead of _enemies_.

They'd never had a real conversation with each other before, unless you counted shouting insults at each other as conversation. And when Lily reached the Gryffindor Tower, she found that _maybe_, just _maybe_, Scorpius Malfoy wasn't so bad after all. That was until she realized something.

The words of her prediction a few days ago floated back to her.

_**On Friday, my soulmate will show up when I most need him.**_

_Today is Friday. And that meant_ . . . _No. No way in hell. Scorpius Malfoy is __**not**__ my soulmate. No. That's just a stupid prediction without an ounce of truth in it. No. _Those were her thoughts as she trudged up the steps leading to the Girls Dormitory.

Lily collapsed on her bed, and didn't move until her other dorm mate, Sophie Thomas told her that it was time for dinner. Walking towards the Gryffindor table, she caught sight of Scorpius laughing with her brother Albus over at the Slytherin table. Once seeing her, he waved. Lily smiled back at him. _Maybe having him as a soulmate wouldn't be that _—Then she noticed Lorcan, looking from her to Scorpius, confused about their exchange. She could feel herself blushing and inwardly groaned.

She didn't talk at all during dinner.

* * *

Author's Note: Wow, this chapter has more than 1000 words, which is so much more than the previous chapters! What do you think? Review/favorite/follow!


	4. New Revelations

Author's Note: Guess who's back with a new chapter? I am! I present to you, ladies and gentlemen, the newly completed Chapter 4!

* * *

Chapter 4: New Revelations

After the incident that occurred on Friday, things went differently between Lily and Scorpius. No, they weren't suddenly best friends, but they were friendly enough, she supposed. When she saw him, she would nod at him, and he would do the same. However, there was always the slight awkwardness between them that absolutely refused to leave. And it didn't help that whenever students saw them conversing, they would point and whisper, obviously amazed to see two long-time enemies talking in a civilized manner. Their exchanges never lasted for more than five minutes and were usually about school and Albus, their only mutual friend, but it was enough to surprise onlookers. Not that she could blame them. Before, their conversation had mostly included swearing and name-calling.

* * *

A few weeks later was when things went down a slightly different path. It was a Saturday, and as she had finished all her homework she had nothing better to do than wander the empty halls. She was planning to go to the library when she saw Lorcan's head disappear around the corner ahead. Ask any student that isn't a bookworm to choose between following their crush or visiting the library, and you'd find nine out of ten would choose the latter. And as she's nothing like her cousin Rose, she chose following him, sticking to the shadows cast by the various objects aligning the walls.

She dove into one of the alcoves in the corridor wall as Lorcan turned around. She supposed she wasn't quiet enough. Upon seeing nothing out of the ordinary, he continued walking.

She was just about to move out of the niche when she heard a sound right next to her. Lily almost jumped out of her skin. Her hand instinctively went towards her wand tucked in her pocket.

"Whoa there. No need to resort to violence. I haven't even begun talking yet!" She could recognize that voice anywhere.

"Scorpius Malfoy. I swear, if you do that to me one more time, you will find yourself-"she considered jabbing her wand at him, but she could see nothing around her. "Where _are_ you, anyway?"

"Here." There was a flurry of sound on her left as a silvery cloak was thrown off of Scorpius.

"Is that—"

"—Your father's Invisibility Cloak? Yeah, it is. I got your brother to lend it to me. What're you doing here, of all places?"

Their relationship might have improved, but that didn't mean she was willing to tell him her secret crush on Lorcan Scamander.

"Uh . . . no reason. Yeah, no reason at all."

"Are-are you _blushing_?"

She cursed herself mentally. "Uh . . . of course not. Must be a trick of the light."

"Yeah, you are blushing." She groaned silently.

She glanced at Lorcan, now at the end of the corridor. Scorpius followed her line of sight and said, "Hey, isn't that Lorcan Scamander? Twin of Lysander?"

"Yeah, it is."

"And . . ." he looked between Lorcan and Lily, then repeating this a few more times. "You're following him, aren't you? Famous Lily Potter has a crush?" His tone was teasing, but there was also something else she couldn't quite place.

There was no denying it now. Even if she tried to lie, her bright red face would give her away. "I guess so."

"But isn't this behavior kind of . . . I don't know, stalker-ish?"

She hadn't thought of it like that. She supposed it is, but it's also quite embarrassing to admit.

So she went with, "Well, I had nothing better to do. If the alternative was going to the library, then I'm sure you would've done the same as me."

"Can't argue with that. So, you like Lorcan. Since when?"

Lily then proceeded to tell Scorpius everything about her crush. How she's liked him since forever but he just can't take the hint, how she wants to confess but has yet to find the courage to.

Scorpius was a good listener. Instead of interrupting every few sentences like her brothers would have done, he actually keeps quiet until she finished.

"So. You're scared that he won't reciprocate your feelings for him. That's why you don't tell him."

". . . Yes."

"Well, you could always slip him a love potion. A strong Amortentia would do the trick. How about enchantments? You could always charm him," Scorpius suggested.

"That could work . . . but are you helping?" Lily didn't want his help, but it would be nice to have a boy on her side, if only to see what boys like.

"No way I'm helping you find love in Lorcan. End of story."

"Please?" asked Lily. She didn't like to beg but well, she had no choice.

"No."

She had to use another tactic. One came to her, and she smiled. "If you don't I'm going to use the Bat-Bogey Hex on you. You don't want that, do you?" The Bat-Bogey Hex was one of her talents inherited from her mother, which was really a useful thing to have. Even her brothers don't dare to make her mad for fear of it.

Scorpius looked genuinely terrified for a bit. His father must have told him about how her mother once did that to him. "Fine, I'll help. If you don't hex me. OK?" he answered hastily.

"All right. Deal?"

"Deal." They shook on it.

Lily beamed, "We'd better start brainstorming ideas, then. And I have the best place to do it."

An hour later, they were sitting in the Room of Requirement, writing out various elaborate (and simply ridiculous) plans, scrap pieces of parchment strewn all over the floor. They stayed until dinner and even then, they were having such an intense argument on the subject of love potions that they were reluctant to leave.

* * *

Author's Note: I haven't been back for ages, but don't worry. I won't abandon this. I don't want to be the cause of someone's disappointment, which is why I will finish this by all costs, unless I die or something major.

Now onto a different subject, how are you all dealing with the coronavirus pandemic? I'm fine. Well actually, no. School has been killing me. I thought that not being able to go to school was nice, that is until I found out that those online assignments are even more frustrating than the normal ones. Shows how much I know, huh? Anyway, I hope you're well. Keep your fingers crossed, everybody! We'll get through this. (Eventually.)


	5. Of Halloween and Enchanted Quills

Author's Note: Sorry for the late update, but I kind of lost inspiration for a bit. Here's the long awaited chapter, and hope you like it!

* * *

Chapter 5: Of Halloween and Enchanted Quills

Today was Halloween, so both Lily Potter and Scorpius Malfoy agreed to stop their planning for a bit to enjoy the festival. No matter how important Lorcan was, Halloween was even more so. Continuing their scheming (that still proved fruitless) would force Lily to miss one of her favorite holidays of the year, which she refused to do.

Lily Potter entered the Great Hall just in time for the Halloween Feast. The decorations were just as brilliant as the first time she ever attended the Feast, and she absolutely loved it.

Hundreds upon thousands of live bats swooped over the tables, making heads, especially those of the first-years, turn. The candles in the intricately carved pumpkins flickered every now and then, casting the Great Hall in an eerie glow.

James was chatting happily with his friends, while Scorpius and Albus were discussing how Muggles celebrated Halloween and how it was different from the magical way. Rose was sitting with her brother Hugo, and for once she wasn't reading, but laughing at something he said. Lily looked over to the Ravenclaw table, expecting to see Lorcan Scamander, her longtime crush, studying the bats fluttering over his head, as always. He loved animals, whether they be magical or normal. What she saw surprised her.

He was talking in low whispers to the pretty girl with short dark hair sitting next to him; so absorbed was he in their conversation that he didn't even seem to notice or care when a bat flew right over his head. The two had their heads close together, and appeared to be writing something on a piece of parchment. She couldn't see what was on the parchment, nor could she make out what they were saying, but it was evident from the way they were acting that it was something meant to be kept secret.

Unwelcome thoughts entered her head at the sight of them close together. These thoughts swirled around Lily's mind as she walked toward the seat her friends reserved for her at the Gryffindor table. She brushed it off quickly. Lily joined her friends and promptly started digging in. But even the delicious food couldn't distract her.

Throughout the whole feast, she tried her best to avoid looking at the Ravenclaw table. She was one of the first to leave the Great Hall when the feast ended.

* * *

_Three days later . . ._

Lily trailed after Lorcan, trying her best to not be noticed, which was the exact opposite of what she had been doing ever since she had a crush on him. The full notion of what she was going to do crashed down onto her, and she couldn't help but regret her decisions.

"_Ugh, we've spent the whole day in the library and yet we still have nothing?" complained Lily. Her eyes were in desperate need of a rest after reading through so many books. She had no idea how Rose's eyes could survive so much torture, because she didn't think she would last another minute._

"_We have something. It's just that you're too stubborn and scared to accept my brilliant idea," retorted Scorpius._

"_You mean flirting? Because that idea is not at all brilliant. It wouldn't even work. If I knew how to flirt without embarrassing myself, I would not have enlisted your help. I've seen Uncle Ron unsuccessfully flirt with Aunt Hermione before, and honestly, I do not want to suffer the humiliation of a failed attempt at flirting." She laughed, recalling the incident, or, more precisely, incidents._

"_So no flirting. That's totally fine, but I wasn't talking about that. No, I was talking about my other idea. The one I told you about yesterday. I still don't see why you rejected that one."_

"_I told you. I just think enchanting Lorcan to like me is not an acceptable idea. Imagine being forced to love someone! No, Malfoy, the answer is no."_

"_I think you misunderstood. The spell I told you about, it's not like Amortentia. I've done some research, and this charm only works if the person in question already has some amount of love for you. The charm will uncover the hidden love for you that he must have deep in his heart. So, basically, if he's in denial, then the charm will force him to accept the truth. It won't work if he has no feelings for you." _

"_Well, then, why didn't you just say so? Yeah, OK, I accept."_

It was the last two words that condemned her to this terrible fate. It was also those two words that she regretted so much. If only she had a Time-Turner.

So here she was, following Lorcan like a stalker. Which, technically, she was.

She wished Scorpius was there with her. Then at least she would have someone to back her up if she got caught. Unfortunately, Scorpius had to join Albus for their Transfiguration lesson, leaving Lily to her own devices.

As she soon found out, Lorcan was heading to the library. Lily acted casual, trying not to draw attention to herself. Acting inconspicuous wasn't as hard as she had thought originally. It was actually kind of easy. But that was just because there were only two people apart from them in the corridor, and they were too busy making out to even notice her.

Upon arriving, Lorcan went straight to an empty table and set down his bag. Hidden in the shadows behind one of the bookshelves, Lily watched as he brought out a piece of homework and, after taking out his quill, started scribbling.

She observed for a few more minutes, then decided that it was time to take action. Lily went to the bookshelf nearest her and randomly selected a book about Potions. She took the empty table near Lorcan and sat as she browsed through it, acting deeply immersed. And it wasn't completely acting, to be honest.

On one page, there were instructions on how to brew a potion to lessen one's drowsiness. Flipping to another page, which turned out to be page 394, she found an "Always" potion that could be used on objects to make sure the effects of the enchantments cast on them would be permanent. And on the page opposite that was a recipe for a potion that, after consumption, could reduce the impact of whatever spells were thrown at you by half, given that it wasn't one of the Unforgivables or some _really_ dark magic, of course.

She would have liked to continue reading, but for now, she had to concentrate on the task at hand. She could always check it out later to further examine it. Lily brought out a blank piece of parchment and started writing down sentence after sentence. She charmed it so that it would appear to be a Potion essay to all who saw it except her. It was really just a letter addressed to her family that she intended to send later, after removing the charm, obviously.

Once Lorcan finished his essay and started on one of the books sitting in a pile next to him, she deliberately broke the only quill she had brought to the library. She feigned frustration and scowled. It wasn't that hard to pretend, actually. Lily only had to recall one of the countless times she had attempted to reason with Scorpius Malfoy and her performance would be absolutely _flawless_.

Biting her lip, she looked around. Catching sight of Lorcan with the quill unused beside him, she gave a smile of relief (acting, of course). She got up and walked toward him. Trying to be as quiet as possible so as to not attract attention from the librarian, she asked if she could borrow his quill, promising to return it to him. As if she wouldn't.

Lorcan gave his quill to her, seemingly confused as to why Lily was blushing, which made her cheeks go even redder. Bringing it to her table while trying to keep her furious blushing under control, she went over the plan once more.

Firstly, she would have to obtain one of Lorcan's possessions. That's been done, so to the second step, which is to enchant it. After doing that, she would return it to him, and Lorcan, not knowing that his quill had been altered, would use it and slowly fall under her spell. The plan's efficiency depended quite a lot on his using the quill, but she wasn't that worried. Lorcan wasn't one to keep a lot of unnecessary items, as she had found out when he had been staying at the Potter household during the holidays. In fact, he only had one quill, which was partly why she chose the quill in the first place.

Lily took out a piece of parchment with the incantation written down on it. She practiced saying it a few times (she could still remember Hermione telling her the importance of saying a spell correctly when Lily was learning to make objects fly) and once she was sure that she pronounced it perfectly, she took out her wand and tapped it against the quill. After checking that it didn't have any noticeable changes and could still work properly, she quickly finished her essay and packed up her belongings.

Before leaving, she went over to Lorcan's table and returned the quill to him. Other than the reddening of her cheeks, there was nothing about her that would arouse the suspicions of the people around her.

She left the library in high spirits, with the Potion book in hand, confident that this plan would work perfectly. What she didn't know, however, was that later in the day, Lorcan would bring it to a Transfiguration test, not knowing that it was enchanted. And we all know what happens when someone brings an enchanted quill to a test. Detention and immediate confiscation of the quill in question.

Last she heard, the quill was deep in a cabinet with all the other confiscated items over the years. She couldn't wait to see Scorpius' face when he hears what days of planning had come to.

* * *

Author's Note: Again, I apologize for keeping you waiting. But to make up for the absence of updates, I wrote an extra-long chapter. (The last two chapters had about 1000 words each, while this one is around 1800 words.) I've got the next few chapters all planned out, but I can't promise that they'll be up soon. Constructive criticism is very much appreciated, as I'd like to improve my writing skills.

And of course, happy 40th birthday, Harry! (Wow, you're old.)


	6. Accidental Quidditch Meeting

Author's Note: After months of waiting, here's Chapter 6, featuring a totally incidental Quidditch meeting as stated in the chapter title here.

* * *

Chapter 6: Accidental Quidditch Meeting

"Stop!" cried a voice. But Lily didn't listen. She just kept running, as fast as she could go, the latest Firebolt model in hand, her red hair flying behind her. The broom was James' gift for achieving Head Boy, hence the yelling. But, well, she was just borrowing it for a bit, and she had been waiting for so long until she had her chance, too. She had tried to ask nicely, but James had refused. So . . . she took it, first chance she got.

She skidded to a halt before the Quidditch Stadium. She had two option: one, she could turn back, and risk having James catch her; or, two, hide in the stands or even the changing rooms. She chose the latter. Lily raced towards the Stadium Entrance, still holding the broom. She dashed inside, and let herself rest for a second, before running again.

She looked around. No one. But there were signs of the stadium having recently been used, not that Lily noticed; she was never the most observant, and the signs was far from obvious. A beaters' bat lay half-obscured by the Commentator's Box, and a broom was still flying, high above her head.

The currently empty stands would have been an excellent hiding spot if it weren't for the fact that staying crouched behind the stands wasn't the most comfortable position to be in, especially for a long period of time. Also, she was holding a highly prized Firebolt that would definitely get her killed if the owner ever found out that it had once been among the sticky sweet snacks students brought to Quidditch matches and never bothered to clean up. She didn't think said owner would be particularly pleased to know that said snacks were now rotting under the seats, either.

The changing rooms it was then. She sprinted away, broom still in hand.

She herself was quite familiar with the changing rooms, being a member of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team, as Seeker. (She seemed to have inherited her father's skills, James her mother's, or maybe his namesake's. As for Albus . . . It's safe to say that Quidditch is not his forte.)

Lily was able to find an alcove that would serve as her hiding spot with no trouble. It was half-hidden behind the lockers, so she had to squeeze in through the opening, but she managed. With her heart racing as fast as the Firebolt in hand, she rested against the wall, breathing heavily.

Eventually, James would give up searching, and just wait until Lily returned it, which she always did, after a while. But for now, she had to remain hidden. And then . . . the fun began.

As she finished that thought, something caught her attention. Voices coming from further inside the rooms. She froze. If she was found . . .

She was stuck there in the alcove. There was nothing she could do except to hold her breath and hope that she did not get noticed. The voices came closer . . . closer . . .

"It's your turn to tidy up, right, Seeker?" Lily recognized the Slytherin Quidditch Captain, Solphina Nott immediately.

So the Slytherin team's there. She listened intently. There might be vital information being discussed between the Slytherins that could help Lily's team, Gryffindor, win the Quidditch match in just eight days away.

She expected Zedreth Zeller to reply, being the Slytherin Seeker, but no. It was someone else. And of course, of course the new Seeker for Slytherin had to Scorpius Malfoy. Of course it had to be.

Scorpius started talking, "Please don't call me that. I've never even played in a Hogwarts Quidditch Match before; I'm nervous enough as it is. I'm just the reserve, remember?"

"Not this time. In just a week, you'll be up there in the skies. Remember the tactics Zedreth taught you. Remember them, and you'll be fine."

"Thanks, Captain." Even though she couldn't see, Lily could tell that Scorpius was smiling. And for some reason, she didn't like the thought of Scorpius smiling at the Slytherin Captain.

"Just tidy up, Seeker." Lily heard Solphina's footsteps slowly fading away. She waited for another five minutes until Scorpius left, judging by is footsteps, then moved out of the alcove.

She had misjudged Scorpius' location. He was by the door, retying his shoelaces. Hearing no footsteps, Lily thought he was gone, but he wasn't.

Scorpius turned at the sound of someone cursing under their breath. He was surprised to see Lily. He hadn't saw her come in the changing room, and she was most definitely not there when he had first entered.

After training, Scorpius was drenched in sweat, and his clothes were clinging to him, in a strangely nice way. Lily could feel warmth rushing into her cheeks as she thought that.

"Hi, I guess? It's me again," she said awkwardly. "You're the new Seeker?" She immediately regretted saying that. Since the match was looming, and tensions were high, she didn't think he'd like hearing that she had overheard his conversation.

He narrowed his eyes. "You heard?" He shrugged, then continued, "It's not like it's that important information since your team's gonna find out sooner or later, so I'll tell you. Zedreth, our Seeker, got injured, and since I'm the reserve, I have his job. Definitely not used to being an official member of the team, under my cousin Solphina."

"She's your cousin? How come I didn't know this?"

"You'd know if you're a Slytherin. Her mother's my Aunt Daphne." To be honest, Lily felt better hearing that she had no reason to worry.

"It's gonna be brilliant playing against you." She grinned.

"Yeah, because it's no competition. You're gonna catch the Snitch. I'm so . . . wait, is that the new Firebolt you're holding? No way. Let me see?"

"Sure. It's not mine though. It's James'." She handed it to Scorpius.

He ran his fingers across the sleek broomstick. "That's it. You Gryffindors are winning this time. No one from the Slytherin Team has even touched the new Firebolt. Imagine owning it. That'd be _amazing_. The fact that one of you Potters actually owns this . . . Can't believe it."

"You wanna try it out?" She glanced at Scorpius. It's not like Scorpius would sell her out to James if she let him have a ride as well, he might not even tell his Captain that she had been caught overhearing their conversation. Sparing some of her broomstick-riding time was worth it.

"James let you take it for a ride?" he asked incredulously.

"What he doesn't know won't hurt him. Is it a yes, or is it a no?"

"No way am I refusing a chance to ride this. Yes!" His eyes, identical to his father's, were sparkling at the prospect of riding the new Firebolt.

"Come on, this broom's ours for the day, better make the most out of it. Race you to the end of the Pitch? Winner gets to try the Firebolt first!"

* * *

No excuse this time except . . . school's finally starting! I've recently transferred to a new school. It's been kinda hard adapting using Zoom without being able to see each other face-to-face, but I've managed.

Just some progression in Lily and Scorpius' relationship. I doubt she'll see him as only an ally now . . . We'll see how that goes, shall we? Next chapter' will be the Quidditch Match, who do you think is gonna win? Gryffindor or Slytherin? Remember to leave a review/fave/follow!


End file.
